KAMPALA, Uganda — Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni met with German Ambassador Matthias Schauer on Friday, a meeting that follows a significant diplomatic rift between the two nations over accusations of “subversive activities” against the ambassador.
The meeting at State Lodge, Nakasero, focused on enhancing collaboration in key sectors including trade, investment, technology, and sports development. Both leaders “reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the longstanding partnership between Uganda and Germany,” according to a statement.
The meeting comes after the Ugandan army, the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF), announced it had suspended military cooperation with Germany. Col. Chris Magezi, then acting director of Defence Public Information, alleged that Ambassador Schauer was “actively engaged in subversive activities” and interfering in Uganda’s internal affairs, including backing groups opposed to the government ahead of next year’s general elections.
Germany however rejected Uganda’s allegations as “absurd and without any merit,” a foreign ministry spokesperson told reporters in Berlin.
The accusations against Schauer, who has served in Uganda since July 2020, mark one of the most serious diplomatic rifts between Kampala and a European power in recent memory. The specific nature of the alleged “subversive activities” has not been publicly detailed by Ugandan authorities.
Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Museveni’s son and current UPDF chief, had publicly stated that his issues with the ambassador were “personal” and that Schauer was “wholly unqualified” to be in Uganda.
However, Magezi, who has since been removed from his post, made the official announcement of the suspension on X (formerly Twitter).
The accusations followed a closed-door meeting in Gulu where Gen. Salim Saleh, President Museveni’s brother, met with European diplomats. During the talks, Ambassador Schauer reportedly criticized Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba’s social media tirades, warning they were inflicting “reputational damage” on Uganda and urging senior officials to publicly disavow them.
“What we have tried to convey is we are worried about the reputational damage that this is causing in this country,” the ambassador was quoted as saying in viral videos from the meeting.
Uganda’s opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, known as Bobi Wine, dismissed the military’s accusations as a “ridiculous” attempt to criminalize dissent. He claimed the regime was “manufacturing ‘threats’ to shield itself from accountability.”
Col. Magezi had previously alleged that recent arrests uncovered rebel plots involving opposition supporters and acts of economic sabotage, including the destruction of electricity infrastructure, claims the opposition vehemently denies. He further alleged that some European embassies in Kampala were “funding and mobilising” dissident groups, with Schauer identified as a key actor. Magezi claimed the ambassador’s actions went “against the spirit of the 1961 Vienna Diplomatic Conventions.”
Footage from the Gulu meeting caused internal consternation, with Uganda’s U.N. ambassador Adonia Ayebare describing the diplomatic exchange as a “fiasco.” Gen. Saleh appeared to downplay the controversy over his nephew Muhoozi, calling him a “Gen-Z” officer and suggesting he would “get him on board” if necessary.
The UPDF had warned it would take “decisive action against those who seek to destabilise the country,” though the recent meeting between Museveni and Schauer suggests an effort to manage the fallout. Under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, diplomats are prohibited from interfering in the internal affairs of the host state. While a host country can request the withdrawal of a diplomat deemed persona non grata, direct public accusations of subversion are rare and typically signal a severe breakdown in diplomatic relations.
